The invention relates to a method for producing a corrosion-resistant coating of high reflectivity on the surface of workpieces, especially reflector inserts formed from a plastic, in a vacuum chamber, with a glow discharge cathode and an evaporator.
A method is known for producing a protective coating on the surface of optical reflectors, preferably reflectors vapor-coated with aluminum, in a vacuum tank (DAS 26 25 448), in which the reflectors are exposed to a monomeric vapor of organic compounds, and in which the protective coating is precipitated by polymerization from the vapor phase by means of radiation from an electrical gas discharge, the protective coating being formed by the polymerization of an organic silicon substance.
Practice, however, has shown that it is not possible to achieve the production of a multilayer coating of a lacquer, an aluminum coating, and a single protective coating formed from a polymer, that has the corrosion resistance especially required by the automobile industry.